We know how important it is for patients and families to be able to see visitors. Please help us keep our patients and staff as safe as possible by checking the guidance below before you visiting.
Read more on visiting times...
We recognise the impact that a long stay in hospital can have on families and the importance of maintaining strong communication. Our ward staff are keeping in touch with patients’ next of kin directly and our Voluntary Services team can help pass on personal messages from family and friends.
After suspending visiting earlier in the year, we are now able to offer limited visiting to some wards at the discretion of the nurse in-charge.”
Read more on visiting times...
We recognise the impact that a long stay in hospital can have on families and the importance of maintaining strong communication. Our ward staff are keeping in touch with patients’ next of kin directly and our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) can help pass on personal messages from family and friends.
The Queen Alexandra Hospital is located just on the hill slopes of Portsdown Hill overlooking Portsmouth. It is conveniently situated for both the M27 and A3M.
Family members and carers play an important role in supporting patients during an episode of ill health. We are committed to the active involvement of family members, friends and carers during a hospital stay. Family members and carers play an important role in supporting patients during an episode of ill health.
More information on visiting hospital for an appointment.
If you've had experience of using our services and would like to make a comment then please contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). Your views are very important to us and we would like to hear where you think improvements are needed or where things have gone so well that you would like to share your thanks or gratitude with the staff involved. When things have not gone so well then you can be sure that we want to hear from you, so please get in touch with PALS.
During your stay in hospital you will meet a number of different members of staff. All members of staff wear name badges, but if you are not sure who someone is or what they do, please feel free to ask them to introduce themselves and explain what they do.
If you have any questions about your treatment, please ask a doctor or a nurse.
There are lots of opportunities for you to get involved with the Trust, from volunteering to attending our public meetings, our Annual General Meeting or our hospital open day which is held every year.
We welcome and value your feedback and use the views you share with us in a number of ways to learn and make improvements as well as sharing best practice. Feedback can be provided in a number of ways.
Last updated: 04 November 2019
NHS RESEARCH IMPROVING TREATMENTS FOR PATIENTS WITH SEVERE ASTHMA
Toni’s Story
Toni Evans, from Swanage was 6 years old when she was initially diagnosed with Asthma. It was manageable with regular inhalers until she contracted a severe chest infection when she was 16.
Toni said: “The chest infection must have set something off because I ended up in intensive care with a severe asthma attack and my health deteriorated rapidly from then on. My asthma just got worse and worse over the years and, before coming to Portsmouth, I was referred to 4 different hospitals, where I was tried on a number of different inhalers first, followed by tablets and then injections. At one stage I even had a medical pump which is similar to an IV drip, it was inserted into my stomach and deflated over a week.
“The doctors could not find anything that would work as there were no known triggers for my exacerbations and they also thought I had an eating disorder too as I had lost so much weight due to constantly fighting for my breath day in and day out. I stopped being able to go outside and I couldn’t exercise or socialise like other people my age. I could not even go to the cinema as I would cough so much people would tut at me and it was really embarrassing. Just wheezing alone was embarrassing enough as I constantly sounded like Darth Vader! I even had to be careful not to laugh as it would cause me to have an attack. I also looked and felt tired all the time and was so upset with how my life was. It felt like I lived in a hospital and my social life and personal life suffered massively.
“At one point I was told that they may have to laser my lungs which would give me a good quality of life, but only for 3 years, when it would start to deteriorate again. I was told that I should do all the things I wanted to do in those 3 years like go travelling and have a baby as once the laser had been done it would leave scar tissue on my lungs and could not be done again. It felt like a life sentence and I was only in my mid 20s.”
The Research Trial
Finally Toni’s respiratory consultant (Professor Chauhan) at QA Portsmouth Hospital told her about a clinical trial with an investigational medical product (IMP) after all other recommended treatments had failed. For the first 12 months of the trial, patients were either given a placebo (dummy drug) or the IMP injections. The second year of the trial all participants were put onto the IMP.
Toni knew right away she had the IMP, as things started really improving for her. Toni commented: “To start with we had to go into hospital every 2 weeks to have injections given to us, but after that they taught us to do them ourselves and we only had to go in every month and now I only have to go in every 3 months. The trial finishes in March next year and the sponsor has said they will continue to supply the IMP for us until the NHS decide to fund it. I don’t even want to think about what will happen if the NHS does not decide to fund it.”
Toni’s Feedback
“Since being on this drug I have got my life back. I have put on a stone and a half in weight and I’m finally able to exercise and do things like anyone else. I can go to the gym or go swimming, go for walks along the beach and can now start to focus on my career, spending quality time with friends and family etc. But it’s the little things like laughing, that other people take for granted, that mean so much to me now. I feel as though I’m asthma free and my lungs are starting to recover. I feel like a new woman! Even though I live quite a distance away in Swanage, the regular travel to Portsmouth for the treatment is worth it.
“I would encourage anyone with an ongoing health issue to ask their doctor about clinical trials and to go onto one if you get the opportunity. The research team also really look after you. They check up you all the time and you can always call or email them if you have any problems or concerns, so they were really good. I’ve got a new lease of life which I would never have had if I’d not been referred to this trial, it saved my life and if there’s even a slight chance a clinical trial can save yours too then I’d say go for it – it really can change your life and I thank Portsmouth Hospital and the respiratory team from the bottom of my heart for giving me the chance to be me again”.
If you are interested in taking part in a PHT clinical trial, you can get involved by asking your doctor about clinical research and whether it would be a good thing for you. You can find out more at http://portsmouthtechnologiestrialsunit.org.uk or you can contact research.office@porthosp.nhs.uk.
